


A Puzzle

by CMA6725



Series: Of Men and Legends [10]
Category: Zorro (TV 1990)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Mystery, Organized Crime, Romance, Slavery, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29760477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMA6725/pseuds/CMA6725
Summary: The arrival of two new dons and a young heiress leads to several unexpected events, including increased criminality,  Don Alejandro taking over as Alcalde and Diego being challenged to a duel. It takes, however, the mind of a fox and just a little bit of luck to get to the bottom of things.
Relationships: Ignacio de Soto/Original Female Character(s), Victoria Escalante/Diego de la Vega
Series: Of Men and Legends [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177262
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Don Berto de Yero had arrived in Los Angeles about the same time the two Hernandezes left the pueblo. He was as tall as De Soto, slender, had black hair and dark-brown eyes, was good-looking and had a seductive smile, which quickly gained him the attention of the young unmarried Señoritas of the pueblo.

In his late thirties, Don Berto was the new owner of El Rancho de las Aves, so called by its first owner, a rich haciendado who had perished in an earthquake, not long after finishing building his hacienda. For the next several years, it had stood empty until an heir was found in Spain.

The second owner of the ranch only kept it for a few years, abandoning it after finding life in the colonies too tiresome for him, and leaving it in the care of a manager. However, a few months earlier news had arrived that he had sold it to a relative of his, who was a Captain in the Royal Navy.

So, almost a year after having acquired the ranch, in March 1821, Don Berto came to the pueblo together with his stepsister and fifteen of his former sailors, after they had all quit the Navy.

As soon as he arrived, Don Beto dismissed the manager, compensating him for his service, then he and his men started renovating the main houses on his property, doing everything with materials and provisions they had brought with them. In the entire month they spent on the renovations, nobody in the pueblo laid eyes on either the De Yeros or on their men.

Some of the dons, wanting to ingratiate themselves to the new arrival had tried to visit, but were always turned away from the entrance to the De Yero lands by his guards, with the promise that the new owners will introduce themselves to everyone as soon as they were ready to do so.

ZZZ

A few days after the Brothers Bautista left Los Angeles, Zorro was on a cliff, watching a ship anchored a few miles south of the port. He had spent the entire afternoon helping some farmers who had been attacked by bandits, managing to save the people, their grains and their livestock. The bandits, however, had gotten away and as he tried to follow them, their tracks led him towards the sea. They had doubled-back at some point but, from where he was the black-clad man saw a ship entering the nearby bay, so he dismounted and watched it from the cliffs.

In the colored sunset light, he could see the vessel waved no flag and its provenience was, thus, as unclear as its intentions. Two boats were soon lowered and people started occupying them. They didn't look like pirates and hardly seemed to pose any threat, but their presence in such an isolated part of the shore and something in the way the people walked, instinctively bothered him.

He wished he had brought his looking glass to catch a better glimpse of the strange invaders when he caught a red light with the corner of his eye. He turned to look back towards the pueblo just as another red light shot towards the sky, only to become lost in it a few moments later. Another one followed and he understood that his presence was urgently needed in Los Angeles. With one last glance towards the ship, Zorro took out his crossbow and loaded it with one of his red flame arrows, then shot it as he steered Tornado towards the cave.

"What happened, Felipe?" He asked as soon as he arrived. His son was pacing the cave, waiting for him when he entered and he hurried to explain why he had used the arrows to signal to his father that he needed to return. "The bandits have attacked the tavern? They've taken hostages? My father and Victoria are amongst them?" As soon as Felipe confirmed he had heard right, he remounted the tired stallion and left again, heading for the pueblo, but not before instructing his son to bring Esperanza to the medical office. He already had full changes of clothes both there and in his newspaper office.

The pueblo was silent when Zorro arrived. As night had already fallen, it was easy for him to climb on the tavern's roof without getting spotted.

As far as he was able to see, the lancers were only positioned around the cuartel and in the plaza, so he decided it was safe enough to make his way towards the kitchen's high window. The small passage there offered him the perfect place to observe the room without risking being spotted.

There were twenty-three hostages, most of them civilian but also two lancers, all tied up and gagged. The six bandits who had decided to attack after Zorro had interfered with their plans of robbing the farmhouses were collecting valuables from their captives.

When they reached Victoria, one of them decided he might have some fun with the beautiful Señorita and tried to kiss her, his right hand also reaching to touch her left breast. Don Alejandro, who was right next to her and had no intention of standing such an assault, defended the young woman by pushing the thug away with his legs. The man stumbled and fell on his back, then immediately recovered, taking out his gun and pointing it at the old don who just looked at him defiantly. He was about to press the trigger when an arrow pierced his hand, causing him to drop the gun which, instead of Don Alejandro's head, discharged into his right thigh.

Moments later, the black-clad outlaw who had chased them around the countryside was in the taproom, fighting the remaining thugs and knocking them out one by one, using alternatively his whip and his sword. About five minutes later the battle was won and he hurried to check on Don Alejandro, also cutting the ropes around Victoria's and the old don's wrists and legs.

"You need to stop the bleeding." He instructed the taverness, pressing a hand towel onto the wound. "I need to go now, but I will try to inform Don Diego about what happened."

As he said that he cut the ropes on a few more people, instructing them to free the others and tie up the bandits, then took his leave, departing the same way he came in. Moments later, the people in the tavern heard him whistle for Tornado, then the hoofs of the stallion riding away.

The lancers were just dragging the bandits out when Diego arrived in front of the tavern, mounted on his mare.

"Where's Father?" He asked as he entered, followed by Felipe, but no answer was needed since the old don was just where he had been for the past two hours, still bleeding, as Victoria was doing her best to help him. "I need help to move him to the medical office!" He asked and two lancers immediately volunteered.

"He tried to help me!" Victoria, who had followed them to the office, told the caballero as soon as the don was resting comfortably in one of the high beds. "Will he be alright?"

"The bullet seems to have hit an artery." Diego answered as he was continuing her efforts to stop the bleeding. "It's most likely why he's been losing so much blood. But I doubt the damage is severe or he might have already lost too much."

"Stop talking about me as if I wasn't here!" Don Alejandro uttered faintly at hearing them.

"You'll be alright, Father." Diego smiled assuredly just before Felipe, at his instruction, placed an ether-soaked cloth on his face. Tying a bandage above the wound to restrict circulation in the hope the bleeding would stop and continuing to put pressure on the wound, the caballero soon managed to limit the bleeding, but realized it might have already been too late. Instructing Felipe to get the biggest syringe they had, he then donated some of his own blood to his father, then, as his son was slowly injecting the blood into the old don's right arm vein, he cut part of his father's pants to properly assess the wound, then started operating, working on closing it.

"It was a clean shot." He told Victoria after he finished. The taverness had remained in the office, watching him work and handing over tools and bandages when he requested. "He will be alright."

"What you did there… giving him your blood… How did you know it would work? Can anyone give blood to someone else?" She inquired.

"No. It's actually a dangerous procedure, but it has great potential and I have done some progress in understanding it better. Had it been anyone else, though, I would not have done what I did. But I already knew my father's blood and mine are compatible."

"How?"

Diego realized he had just made a mistake. In fact, thinking about it, he might have made more than one by giving his blood to his father. He knew he could receive blood from him because Doctor Hernandez had performed the transfusion when he had been injured by the eldest Ramirez, but couldn't be sure the reverse would also work. That had only been pure luck. "Most successful transfusions were done between family members." He replied.

The taverness didn't press for more answers, glad to know that the older caballero would recover.

By the time Zorro remembered the strange ship and managed to return to the shore, the vessel was gone and there was no trace left of the people aboard it.

ZZZ

"This is not what I had asked for, you wench!" Don Octavio Ripperda yelled at Pilar, throwing the full plate of tamales at the woman. She managed to get out of the way of the flying, oily plate just in time, and the projectile instead stopped with a splash on the Alcalde's newest jacket.

"Who dared do this?" De Soto hissed looking around the perfectly quiet tavern.

"It was not for you!" Don Octavio replied dismissively, "I was trying to hit the wench but she got out of the way."

"Mendoza, arrest this man!" The Alcalde ordered. "And for future reference, Señor, in Los Angeles we neither have a very high level of tolerance for people insulting our… good women, nor do I, in particular, have any tolerance for those destroying my suits!"

"Don't be absurd! You can't just arrest me for such triviality! Do you know who I am?" The don asked as the soldiers were dragging him out.

"I don't care who you are, Señor. As long as you're in my pueblo, you have to obey my rules!" De Soto said, and several people in the tavern started cheering and applauding enthusiastically.

Don Octavio had only been in Los Angeles for a few hours at that point, having recently acquired a small ranch some 14 miles south-east of the pueblo, next to El Rancho de la Aves and, by lunchtime, he had already attracted a lot of negative comments and attention.

He started the day by destroying several fruits and vegetables sold by the farmers in the plaza by leading his horse straight through the mentioned edibles, then insulted a woman who was walking away with her donkey as he stepped into the animal's excrements, pushed away an older woman who was getting some water from the public fountain so that he could drink and wash his boots in it instead, slapped a child for stumbling into him while playing, and offended the pueblo and its people by stating that Los Angeles was nothing more than a slum and its people just lazy bunglers. The most recent incident of him ordering tamales, then throwing them at Pilar and denying it was exactly what he had ordered, just sealed his fate in the people's eyes.

De Soto looked suspiciously around at the cheering crowd, and followed his men with a distinct feeling he might have done something wrong, because that reaction was certainly not right.

"You will regret this!" The don said as he ordered the soldiers to close the prison cell's door after leaving him inside.

"He's not even drunk!" De Soto noticed as he headed towards his quarters to change, giving one of his subordinates the spoiled jacket to try and get the grease out of it.

ZZZ

The De la Vegas had not been in the tavern when Don Octavio was arrested, having spent the day taking care of Don Alejandro, but Sergeant Mendoza, Pilar and Victoria had made sure to tell them everything about the day's events.

A couple of days later, when the vaquero who had accompanied the don to Los Angeles returned with money to pay the fine for him, De Soto ordered the man freed and forbade him from returning to Los Angeles for the following six months.


	2. Chapter 2

In early April 1821, after they had finished renovations and had sorted out everything they needed sorted out on their hacienda, Don Berto de Yero made sure to introduce himself and his stepsister to the pueblo's dons and to Alcalde De Soto, the white-haired man taking an instant liking of the young woman. She was 25, thin, tall, had green eyes and long curly black hair, beautiful enough to rival Victoria, and, according to her stepbrother, heiress to a fortune since her mother had been the only child of a very rich Spanish banker.

De Soto wasted no time in asking the young woman for permission to court her and spent the next couple of weeks doing so, even fancying himself in love with her. She had eagerly agreed to the courtship and had been pleasant, even flirty every time they went out on rides, picnics, or walks. In turn, the white-haired man made sure to tell her all about his powerful position as Alcalde, how many men he had at his command, the extent of his power in the territory and even share some of the more secretive aspects of his job to impress her. Furthermore, knowing very well how women reacted at seeing Zorro, he also made sure not to give him any reason to appear in the weeks after the black-clad man had saved him and his men from the ambush orchestrated by Narcisco and his men. It did not prevent him from making the occasional appearance to save the day or to bring outlaws to justice, but, at least, he left De Soto alone on each of those occasions.

The one thing annoying the Alcalde and somewhat interfering with his plan of a quick courtship followed by an even quicker wedding to the rich heiress was Don Berto's insistence to accompany them. Granted, he did give them privacy, keeping himself some 50 feet away, but his mere presence, as well as the looks he sometimes gave them interfered with the Alcalde's plan.

"How come you are not yet married, Ignacio?" Ursula de Yero asked him one day as they were walking through the plaza, perusing the stands placed there since it was market day.

"Well… I…" He hesitated. "I just haven't found the right woman. Until now…"

"Oh? Are you saying you think I might be the right woman?" She wondered.

"You, my dear, are a goddess and any man would be lucky to be your husband."

"And many men had tried their hand, Ignacio. But I do warn you, beautiful words won't be enough to win me over!" As she said that, she started looking at the fabrics displayed by one of the vendors. "Do you have any white silk?" She asked the man.

"White silk? No, Señorita, but I do have some very fine white fabrics here. Take a look!" The man answered, taking out a few rolls of different materials.

"No… For the dress I have in mind, only white silk would do." She decided, throwing Ignacio a suggestive look. "Perhaps I might find some in San Diego or Monterey, but, right now, my brother can't leave the hacienda and he doesn't allow me to go anywhere without him. He is very protective of my honor, my dear Berto." Ursula stated, looking lovingly towards her brother, who was a few stands away.

"Oh, don't worry, my dear! I've been meaning to go to San Diego for a while now… I believe I need a new suit, and it will be my pleasure to buy you as much white silk as you want. Enough for a dress fit for a princess." De Soto assured her, gallantly raising her hand to kiss it as he had seen Zorro do with Victoria on several occasions.

She looked straight into his eyes smiling and nodded, then linked her arm to his as they continued their walk.

ZZZ

For his turn, the young Don Berto set his eyes on a certain black-haired, black-eyed Señorita renowned all over the territory for her cooking skills. Victoria never gave him any indication she might be interested in him. On the contrary, just as she had done in similar circumstances in the past, she made sure to inform him that there was only place in her heart for a certain masked hero of the pueblo. Don Berto, however, was not one to give up easily and, instead, made sure to spend a good part of his day at the tavern, while also showering Victoria with flowers and presents.

Obviously, Diego hated that, and took an instant dislike of the man even if he was always friendly with everyone, the tall caballero included. The other Los Angelinos, though, craved Don Berto's company as he had a particular gift for storytelling and a lot of interesting adventures from his days in the Navy to share.

"Tell me something, Don Berto," Diego asked him one day as they were sitting together at a table, the new arrival - who was supervising his sister, Ursula, who was sat at a different table with De Soto - having decided to join him, Victoria and Felipe, "how come you have not hired a single man since you arrived to the pueblo? "

It was one of the questions puzzling Diego since the De Yeros arrived in Los Angeles.

"I already have all the men I need, Don Diego. As you know, I was a ship Captain before coming here and most of my men have also decided to come with me. They would follow me anywhere!" He replied, the last part mostly added to impress the taverness.

"Really?" Diego said with a subtle mockery in his voice. "So all your sailors decided to suddenly become farmers… and they know everything there is to know about it? That is quite amazing. It took my father and my grandfather years to learn."

"My men had been farmers in their youth, before joining the Navy. They already knew all they needed to know." Don Berto assured him, then smiled gallantly at Victoria.

Diego eyed him with a fake smile, still finding it hard to believe his words and frowned as he saw the looks the new arrival exchanged with the woman he loved. Victoria might have been in love with Zorro, but she was not immune to other men, either and he knew that.

ZZZ

Thoughts of the beautiful heiress occupied De Soto's mind as he rode towards San Diego a few days after having promised her the silk. He was also hoping to buy some new 'essentials' - such as new fabrics for his own suits and some more silk cravats, gloves and boots - from the ships due to arrive that weekend at the Presidium.

He had left Los Angeles early in the morning, taking the Camino Real, Corporal Sepulveda and two thousand pesos from his personal reserves.

They were about twenty miles south of the pueblo, trotting through a valley, when they felt something biting them and they fell off their horses, to land unconscious on the dusty road.

"I only want him!" A man wearing a caballero suit and a bandana uttered, and the two he was with instantly lifted De Soto off the ground, taking him to a nearby wagon.

"How about the other one?" One of his men asked.

"Let the wizard do his magic on him and send him to Los Angeles." He said, an evil smile on his lips, indicating a third man who was with them, sat in the wagon.


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't be stubborn and let us carry you!" Diego asked his father who was holding onto the wall as he tried to make his way towards the library.

"I am not being stubborn, Diego. You, yourself said I need to use the leg and it's already healing well. Now let me use it!" The old don replied.

"At least, lean on me!" His son answered, and Don Alejandro decided to compromise.

They arrived in the library together, followed by Felipe, and the tall caballero sat his father on his favorite armchair, then asked him what book he wanted to read. Diego was just heading for the bookshelf when they heard a knocking on the door.

"Are you expecting someone?" Don Alejandro inquired. "A Señorita, perhaps?" He teased.

"Not really." Diego answered and signaled for Felipe to answer the door. "Señor Peralta! Please, come in!" He indicated as he followed his son and saw the man standing in the doorway.

The farmer entered, taking off his hat as he did so. "I just came to tell you the news, Don Diego. Buenas tardes, Don Alejandro, Don Felipe!"

"What news?" The old don asked, trying to stand up and falling right back.

"The Alcalde. He's been killed on his way to San Diego."

"What? Ignacio is dead?" Diego asked. "How?"

"Corporal Sepulveda just returned to bring us the news. They had left this morning. Apparently they got too close to the edge of some cliffs and Alcalde De Soto fell into the sea when his horse reared, startled by a snake. The Corporal said that when he saw him fall he went to see if there was anything he could have done for him, but he only got to see a shark dragging the Alcalde's body to the depths of the sea. There was nothing he could do."

"A shark?" Don Alejandro wondered covering his mouth with his right hand in shock at imagining the scenes described.

"Si, Don Alejandro. The poor corporal is still under shock. He just stands there, in the tavern, and keeps repeating the story. Don Diego, I think you'd better have a look at him… He doesn't seem himself…" The man mentioned.

Diego agreed and, leaving Don Alejandro in Felipe's care, he headed for the pueblo.

His adopted son found him in the cave a few hours later, just sitting at the desk and staring at the wall in front of him, engulfed in thoughts.

"Felipe!" The caballero greeted at hearing him come in. "Is my father asleep yet?"

The younger man nodded and proceeded in asking about his conversation with Sepulveda.

"It was very strange, Felipe." He told him. "The man repeated over and over again what Señor Peralta told us."

*He was under shock?* His son asked.

"He did seem to be very affected by the events. Perhaps too affected. But the strangest thing was that he was repeating the same words, over and over again."

Felipe made again the signs for shock.

"No…" Diego said, as he started pacing, his left hand folded across his chest and his right raised to his chin as if to support his head. "Shock causes similar behavior, but the one thing that intrigues me is that he was repeating the exact same words. When a person tells a story multiple times, even if under shock, he or she usually adds details to it after repeating it for a couple of times. Sepulveda simply stuck to the same words. I asked him three times and each time he told me exactly the same story, each word in the same order… it sounded almost as a… poem." Felipe just stared at him frowning. "It sounded rehearsed." Diego clarified.

*You think Sepulveda killed the Alcalde, and then told everyone this story?* Felipe started signaling.

"No. Whatever one may say of the Corporal, he's not a cold-blooded killer. But, still… it is all very strange." Diego concluded.

ZZZ

Zorro spent the following morning riding down the coast towards San Diego, but was unable to find any trace of De Soto. In fact, there was no trace at all to be found. No tracks or other evidence that De Soto, his horse or the corporal had been there the previous day. So, late that afternoon, he returned home empty-handed.

ZZZ

With De Soto dead, Mendoza took over as temporary Alcalde, unsure whether to be glad he didn't have anyone to yell at him, or sad he didn't have someone to give him orders. Besides, his relationship with De Soto was quite complicated as, considering he had grown up as an orphan, he had always felt the lancers to be his family and his commanders some sort of surrogate father-figures.

While he had once dreamed about being appointed as Alcalde, his last experience, when he had been in charge of the pueblo for over six months after Luis Ramone died until De Soto came to take his place, had taught him that he wasn't exactly made for the office. All the truly wanted at that point was a good commander, fair to the people and good to his men.

So, after (reluctantly) taking over the job, his first official act was to send a report to Monterey about the death of his commander. His second, was to organize a memorial service for the man, at which he was the only one speaking – and crying for that matter. In truth, being rid of De Soto was widely taken as a rather good news after the shock about how the Alcalde had met his end passed and the people realized their main source of oppression and taxation was gone.

ZZZ

The days in Los Angeles were getting hotter and drier, a welcomed change after three days of heavy rains which had caused the Porcincula River to overflow once again.

It had not been as bad as on previous occasions when the flooding had caused significant damages, destroying patches of forests, entire farms and even inundating the pueblo's plaza. However, despite that, one effect they had was the apparition of new quicksand areas, dangerous enough to claim the lives of several small farm animals and even a few unlucky cattle.

For the haciendados, the situation posed a multitude of problems since, under such circumstances, all their vaqueros were constantly needed to supervise the animals, so much of the rest of the work that needed be done was indefinitely delayed or, such as in the case of the De la Vegas, was taken over by the patrons – those who could walk, at least.

The worst part was that a new gang of bandits seemed to have taken advantage of both the Alcalde's death and the heavy rains to cause havoc on the most remote farms. With the lancers dispatched always in what seemed the wrong direction, or ambushed from time to time, Zorro had started riding every night to help and every night he was late in getting to where he was needed.

It was under such circumstances when, one night, just as he finally decided there was no point in exhausting himself to death and decided to spend the entire night sleeping, Diego and his father were both awakened by a loud, insistent knocking on the hacienda's main door. Dressed in their robes and wondering who it could be at two in the morning, they met in the corridor, both hoping to find out soon what the noise was about.

On the other side of the door stood a young boy, the urgency of whatever matter had brought him there clear in his eyes. He was a neophyte Diego had seen, yet never interacted with, while visiting the Mission de San Gabriel, situated about nine miles east of Los Angeles and tended to by Padre Benitez whenever the good man was not in the pueblo.

"I need doctor!" The boy simply stated in bad Spanish. "It's urgent!"

The two dons exchanged a glance.

"That would be me, I guess." Diego answered. "What is this about?"

"Man. Injured."

"I'll wake up Felipe. You go get dressed!" Don Alejandro instructed his son.

Diego simply nodded and hurried towards his room.

They received no other information from the new convert on their full gallop ride to the mission, and arrived just as the padre was exiting the room in which he had looked after the injured man.

"Slow down, Don Diego. There is nothing you can do for him anymore, I fear. He's with God now." The good man uttered sadly, just as they dismounted.

"We're too late?" Diego asked with a similar grimace.

"I'm afraid so. Perhaps it was already too late when we found him." The padre told him then led the two De la Vegas to the small room in which the dead man was left with candles burning around him and a few neophytes praying for his soul.

"Where is he from? Do you know him?" Diego asked at seeing the man's face, his traits indicating he was Asian.

"I do not know exactly." The padre replied as the tall caballero kneeled by his side, searching for signs of life and, in their absence, trying to assess the wounds which had led to his death.

The man was black-haired, almond-eyed, his skin burnt by the sun to a light-brown color, similar to that of the native Indian tribes. His face and body were covered in tattoos. He was wearing a pair of thin, dirty pants, and the remains of a shirt, most of it torn and bloodied. On his back, there were a multitude of gashes left there by a whip, and just as many scars from previous lashings. The recent ones he had were all severely infected at that point, and Diego concluded they had been, most probably, the cause of his death.

On his wrists the man bore marks left there by iron shackles, and, at inspecting his legs for similar marks, the pueblo's temporary doctor noticed there was still one such object around his left ankle, a few links still hanging on to it.

"This man was held captive." He concluded. "Somebody did this to him!"

"You think he was a slave? But King Ferdiand passed a law forbidding slavery." Padre Benitez replied.

"Yes, but I doubt anyone informed the slaves about it." The caballero replied with ire in his eyes. "There is someone in Los Angeles using slaves." He noted.

"Now… Don Diego, I doubt any of my parishioners would do such a thing. He is probably a runaway. Escaped from the States."

"It might be so, Padre! Although, the Americans don't normally used Asians as slaves, but Africans. Did he say anything before he died? How did he get here?"

"I… I brought him, Don Diego." Carlos, one of the neophytes answered. "He was almost unconscious when I found him on the river's bank, half-sunk in quicksand. I was out trying to find some cattle we had lost and found him instead. He only said one word, which he kept repeating as long as he was still able to speak.

"What word?"

Carlos tried to remember. "I am not sure, Don Diego. From what I understood, it sounded like makakita."

"Makakita." Diego repeated, doing his best to remember the word so that he might write it down as soon as he arrived home in order to look for its meaning in his dictionaries, hoping to thus get a clue as to who the man was.

ZZZ

"Move, you dummy! There are still a few spots you've missed there!" A rough-looking well-dressed man ordered his servant.

"Si! Si, Señor! I will clean them right away!" The man answered in perfect Spanish.

He was dressed in rags and seemed very fearful of his master. His back bore the scars of a recent thrashing, and he was dirty and barefoot. Hurrying to clean the part of the floor he had already cleaned but not thoroughly enough, the servant did his best to wash out the dirt which seemed to have been there for decades.

The well-dressed man chuckled at seeing him, then got distracted at hearing some of his men arrive in the courtyard.

"Did you find him?" The caballero asked.

"No, Patron. We lost his tracks by the river. I think he might have tried to cross and the water took him away. I doubt he survived."

"Maldita sea! He was essential for the plan!"

"You shouldn't have whipped him so hard, Patron! He wouldn't have escaped if you would have…"

"Am I hearing this right? You are trying to tell me how to behave, Hector?" The man started shouting, grabbing his man and pulling him down from his horse, then proceeding in taking off his belt and lashing him with it. "You… should… learn… to… keep… your... mouth… shut… and… just… do… what… I… order… you… to… do!" He said in-between his trashing. "Or do you want me to do to you what I did to that idiot of Lope who helped him escape!"

"No, Patron! Please stop, Patron!" The man cried from the ground as the others were simply witnessing the scene.

The dirty servant dressed in rags did not dare to glance out the window but heard everything from inside the house, as he hurried to finish the cleaning and leave the room, fearful of his master. As soon as he left, he threw away the dirty water he had used for the cleaning, then started peeling potatoes for the dinner.

"Search everywhere! I want him, dead or alive! And God save him if he is still alive!" He heard his master order the other men as he started peeling potatoes even faster.

"Maloliente! Where are you?" The master yelled as he came into the kitchen. "Still refusing to do your duties properly, I see!" He concluded as he saw the servant peeling potatoes. "And look at this! What do you think you're doing?" He asked as he took a potato peel which was still attached to a quarter of the potato it belonged to. "Waste! You are wasting my food! Can't you do anything right? Well, I don't like my food to get wasted, so this is what you'll eat tonight! Potato peels! Am I clear?"

"Si. Si, Master! Please forgive me, Master!" The man agreed, head bowed, hoping his master's ire would stop at that.

"What? You think I'll let you off so easily?" The don asked, enjoying the fearful look in his servant's eyes.

After another beating and a potato-peel dinner, the servant was finally granted a little time to rest on some flour sacks kept in the small room which served as both pantry and accommodation for the most abused of the household's servants.


	4. Chapter 4

It took a little over two weeks for the reply to arrive form the Governor's office. Strangely enough, the orders from Monterey were for the highest ranking officer in the pueblo - active or retired - to take over as Alcalde. It mentioned no name but, as soon as Mendoza received the order, he ran enthusiastically to the tavern to inform everyone there of the decision, glad to finally be granted a good leader.

"It says right here that the highest ranking officer – active or retired - is to take over the office. The Governor also says there are rumors of rebellion in California, and wants every pueblo to have an Alcalde who had led men in battle and would, thus, be able to prepare the pueblo should the revolution come here." Mendoza recounted in a loud voice for everyone to hear.

"The Governor appointed me?" Don Berto asked seeming both flattered and surprised by the news as he stood up from the table he occupied with some of his new friends.

"No, Don Berto." Mendoza replied. "You were a Captain in the Navy, thus, the second-highest-ranking retired officer in Los Angeles. He's appointed the highest-ranking officer, and the highest ranking officer is… Don Alejandro."

"He wants me to take over the office?" The caballero, who was sat at a table with his son, grandson and the taverness asked truly baffled. Nobody noticed Don Berto's grim expression at that reply.

"Si, Don Alejandro. And he also says that all rebellious activities must be stopped… including Zorro's…" The Sergeant also added.

"No. I will not make a move against a man who single-handedly saved this pueblo so many times! Give the office to Don Berto! I will not let an official blackmail me into raising a hand against Zorro!" Don Alejandro said with ire, standing up from the table.

"I can't, Don Alejandro… It's the Governor's orders. Please, Don Alejandro! Who knows what the Governor will do if you refuse?" Mendoza pleaded.

"The Sergeant is right, Father." Diego intervened.

He disliked the entire situation but knew that, should his father be Alcalde, there would hardly be any reason for Zorro to ride. At least, after he managed to stop the most recent crime wave affecting the territory. Then it was just a matter of staging the masked outlaw's death - he had already thought of a few ways to do so – or just fade away and Diego started acting more and more as himself also in public, not only in Felipe's presence.

Most of all, though, he wanted his father to accept the appointment because he instinctively disliked Don Berto, and did not want the man to become Alcalde.

"I think you should take over the office. There is much good you can do from that position." Diego continued. "And I doubt the Governor expects you to actually accomplish what the other Alcaldes before you did not, and actually capture Zorro. Plus, if you train the men better and don't give him reasons to ride…"

"…he might retire the mask. So the Governor's order would, in principle, be fulfilled." Don Alejandro continued his son's train of thought. "You are right, Diego! Very well, Sergeant. I accept the appointment!"

ZZZ

"So, Señor Alcalde, how did the people react?" Ursula de Yero asked her brother as she reached to kiss him, her hands around his neck.

"I'm not Alcalde." He replied, stopping her just as her lips were about to touch his.

"What? Why? De Soto is dead. You were to be appointed to the office! Fernando said he convinced the Governor to appoint the highest-ranking officer in Los Angeles!" She asked as her temper was getting the best of her.

"Yes… Except that's not me! His information must have clearly been wrong!" He replied, also filled with ire. "The highest ranking officer in this pueblo is Don Alejandro de la Vega. He was a Commander in the Cavalry about a thousand years ago, so that idiot Sergeant decided he's the most qualified to rule the pueblo!"

"What? No! First Benedeto and now this? We can't let everything we've worked for fall apart now!" She decided. "Wait… De la Vega, you said? As in the Doctor's father?" Ursula inquired with a sudden change of temper.

"Temporary doctor." Her stepbrother corrected.

"The Doctor's unmarried, is he not?" She asked him, her eyes sparkling with mischievousness.

"Yes. Why are you asking?" Don Berto inquired. "You're not seriously considering… He's renowned for being useless!"

"Not useless, my dear. A coward, yes… but not useless." She answered with a sly smile.

"What's your plan? And don't even think I'd let you marry him! No other man except me will ever touch you. Are we clear, my dear… Sister?" The young don asked, looking lustily at the young woman who was, in fact, not related to him by blood but only by their parents' marriage.

"Don't worry. Marrying him would take too long." She uttered. "But, in my experience, I hardly need to do more than smile and men fall like flies! I doubt he'll be any different. And while I work my magic on the son, you make sure Octavio and the men finally start causing some real damage for the father to give up the office!"

"I will. But you might have your hands full with that cballero… Rumor is he's quite determined to remain a bachelor." Her brother stated.

"Just because you have your hands full with that wench you're trying to court, it doesn't mean I'll have the same… difficulties. At least, the Doctor is unattached." As she said that, noticing his frown, she turned her back at him. "And, I must admit, the man is rather handsome," she continued teasingly, a mischievous smile on her lips.

Her purpose was achieved when Don Berto reacted to that statement by taking her into his arms and carrying her to his bedroom.

ZZZ

Five days had passed since Don Alejandro de la Vega had taken office and, in all that time, just as in the previous two weeks, crime in Los Angeles had been on the rise. Cattle were stolen from several haciendados, some of the farmers living farther away from the pueblo had their crops set on fire, and the tavern had been robbed just the previous night. Zorro had been out each night and half the days helping however he could. He had recovered the cattle, which the thieves just abandoned a few miles away from the pueblo, he helped some of the farmers putt out the fires the thugs had caused, and prevented them from harming the peons. The stolen money he had not yet recovered, nor had he apprehended any criminal in the process, either that past week or the two previous ones for that matter, and the lack of rest was taking its toll.

"I don't understand what's going on, Diego!" Don Alejandro confessed to his son as the latter came to bring his father the pocket watch he had forgotten at the hacienda that morning. "This has never happened before. Those bandits seem only set on causing trouble and destruction. Several farmers have come to me already, asking if wanted to buy their lands since they are planning to move away. I tried to advise them to be patient, but people are frightened. There are no dead and, as you know, only a few have been injured, but many had lost much of the owned in these attacks. Frankly, I don't think this pueblo will survive much more if things go on as they have. Mendoza and his lancers are completely unprepared to deal with this situation. Not to mention, the bandits seem to intuitively know when and where to attack in order not to be stopped in time.

"Not even Zorro could, so far, do much against them, except for limiting the losses they caused. My lancers say he's been riding every night, but not even him can know beforehand where the attacks will take place and the gang is too large for him to take on all by himself. By the way, Son, you look exhausted!"

"Oh… It's just the readings, Father. I want to be as prepared as possible in case of emergencies." He replied.

"Yes, yes… For once I cannot comment on you spending too much time with your books, since you are certainly doing something useful with them, and everyone in the pueblo is praising you these days! And I hear you also managed to attract the attention of a certain Señorita."

"Father, whatever you might have heard…"

"I've heard that Señorita Ursula can't seem able to stay away from you. And, the way Don Berto is telling the story, you are responding to her feelings."

"That's preposterous, Father! The Señorita is, I'll agree, beautiful, but I hardly have time for romance right now." Diego answered.

"Oh, Diego… A man should always have time for romance, even you, my son!" Don Alejandro told him, putting a fatherly arm around his taller son's shoulders as he escorted him to the door. "And don't forget you promised me grandchildren!"

"How could I?" Diego replied resigned. "You never waste any occasion to remind me!" He smiled as he said goodbye, then turned back at remembering he wanted to say something else and he had forgotten. "Father…"

"Yes, Diego?"

"The bandits… Perhaps they know the schedule of the patrols somehow. You should consider changing them."

Don Alejandro nodded and remained pensive as the tall caballero crossed the plaza and entered the tavern, hoping Victoria might have some fresh coffee for him. Perhaps some food, as well, he decided at hearing his stomach make some unusually loud noises and remembering he hadn't eaten since the previous day at lunch.

The place was full, so he spotted Mendoza having lunch with two of his men and decided to join them. Victoria soon brought him a large cup of coffee, as requested, and a plate of tamales, then left to attend to her other customers.

Diego talked at length with the lancers about the wave of crime affecting Los Angeles, the Sergeant complaining he and his men could not guess where the thugs would be in order to stop them in time, while devouring his own portion of tamales. He was close to finishing when Sepulveda also joined them and requested a meal. A few minutes later, Mendoza was called to the Alcalde's office, and left Diego with the Corporal, his other men accompanying him.

"Corporal," Diego asked, deciding it was as good an opportunity as any to clarify an issue still bothering him, "I have been thinking of Ignacio a lot lately. I was wondering why you chose not to take the Camino Real when you headed south…"

"We did, Don Diego." The man answered instinctively, then paused, trying to clarify his thoughts. "I mean… Did we? We were on the Camino Real, but then we were by the coast… How did we get there?" He wondered and Diego squinted his eyes at hearing him.

"You don't remember?" He asked.

"No… I… I don't. All I remember is that the Alcalde's mare got frightened by a snake and reared. I was some twenty feet away and couldn't reach him in time. He dropped into the sea, and, when I got to the edge all I saw was the shark come and eat him. But I think he was already dead by then."

"That is exactly what you said three weeks ago, when it all happened." Diego replied, looking inquisitively at the man. "Corporal, do you remember when Zorro fell down the Canyon Perdido?" He asked, decided to do a little test.

"No, Don Diego. I wasn't in the pueblo then. But the Sergeant did tell me the story."

"Care to tell me what the Sergeant said?" He asked.

Sepulveda looked inquisitively at him. "Well… the Sergeant said that nobody saw Zorro fall down the rocks, just his body lying there, but when they went to recover it, they only found his cape and boots or hat or I don't know, exactly. Not him. So it might have just been a trick. Zorro likes his tricks!"

Diego looked at him. "Is that exactly what the Sergeant said? Word for word?"

"Of course not, Don Diego… It was a long time ago when he told me the story. I just remember the important parts." He replied.

"Yet the story about the Alcalde's death you keep repeating word-for-word." The caballero mumbled, but the Corporal didn't hear. "Was there a lot of blood in the sea, when the shark took De Soto's body?" He asked loudly.

"I… I don't remember seeing blood." The Corporal answered honestly, trying his best to remember.

"How about the snake; the one which caused the horse to rear. Did you see it?"

"No… I… I don't really remember it, Don Diego."

"How do you know it was a snake, then?"

"I… I just know! I have to go now…" The Corporal uttered as he stood up, annoyed with all the questions, and headed for the garrison where he could have some peace and rest.

Diego watched him leave and his eyes met those of Ursula de Yero, who was just entering the tavern, searching for him. He turned quickly, but there was no denying he had seen her, and he could do nothing but greet her politely as she came to his table.

"So good to see you, Don Diego. I was afraid I'd have to have lunch all by myself today." She said, sitting down.

"I'm afraid I've just finished. I was just about to return to my office, Señorita, but I'm sure your brother should be here shortly to keep you company." He said, trying to sound polite.

Despite realizing the woman was beautiful and feeling somehow flattered by her attentions, Diego's instincts told him he needed to stay away from her. If for no other reason, because he loved Victoria and didn't want to give her any motive to doubt his feelings when he'd finally reveal to her he was the man to whom she was engaged.

"Oh… my brother isn't eating with me today. He arranged for him and Señorita Escalante to have a picnic together. He's going to surprise her." She told him in confidence.

"He might be the one surprised!" Diego muttered, certain that Victoria would not be naïve enough to go on a picnic with the man.

"Señorita Ursula!" A young don approached the table and bowed to kiss the woman's hand. "I see Diego is still keeping you away from your admirers!" He continued, looking challengingly at the other caballero.

"I certainly don't mean to be rude. On the contrary. Please, Roberto, take my seat. I was just leaving and I am certain the Señorita would be more than grateful to have your company for lunch." Diego uttered, faking his best innocent grin as he excused himself leaving the table and the tavern with the same skill Zorro used to disappear when the lancers were about to give him some unwanted attention.


	5. Chapter 5

Diego knew he might not be able to avoid the young woman for too long if he returned to either one of the two offices he was now occupying in the pueblo. He was also expecting a few patients later, so it made no point for him to return to the hacienda. All he needed was for the Señorita to believe he had. So, hesitating a little, he mounted Esperanza and headed for the small grape-covered terrace behind the church.

"Buenos dias, Padre!" He uttered as he found the older man dozing in a chair. "Would you mind if I kept you company for a while?"

"Ah… Don Diego! Not at all. Please, make yourself comfortable." The older man said, indicating a chair for him to sit. "What brings you here?"

"To be honest, Padre, a certain Señorita I need to keep away."

"Not Señorita Escalante?"

"No… Of course, not. Señorita De Yero. I feel she's courting me, and I'm rather certain it should be the other way around… If I had even the slightest interest in her, that is."

Padre Benitez chuckled, then noticed Victoria was also coming around the corner. "I think unwanted attention just got us another refugee!" He uttered as he stood up. "Señorita Escalante!" He greeted as Diego and Victoria just noticed each other. "Please, take my seat. I am rather tired and have been meaning to go in to have a nap, anyway." The kind man offered, then left them with a smile.

"Gracias, Padre…" Victoria simply said as she smiled and sat down. "I hope I haven't interrupted anything, Diego…" She tried to apologize "I was…"

"Unwilling to go on a surprise picnic, I guess, and decided to seek refuge here, where Don Berto wouldn't look for you?" He stated rather than asked.

"How did you know?"

"Señorita Ursula filled me in on her brother's plans. Am I to assume I have guessed correctly?"

"Yes." She said with a chuckle.

"Well… Since we are both taking refuge from the De Yeros, I do hope you don't mind spending the afternoon with me instead." He uttered with a smile.

"I certainly prefer your company!" Victoria agreed with more enthusiasm than even she expected.

"I am flattered… Although I'm not sure I'll be much of a pleasant company today." He confessed. "I am more than a little tired, so, if I fall asleep at any time, don't take it personally. I can barely keep my eyes open."

"In that case, Señor, rest easy, knowing I am here to keep you safe!" She replied with a laugh.

"As you order, Señorita!" Diego replied smiling, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It took Victoria less than a minute to realize he was already asleep in his chair, and she chuckled silently, covering her mouth.

He must be really overworked since he became the pueblo's doctor! She thought to herself as she spotted and reached to grab a book the padre must have been reading and left on the table. She opened it and perused it for a while, but her thoughts were constantly drawn to the caballero sleeping in the chair next to her. He's so handsome when he sleeps… and he looks so innocent. Of course, he looks innocent! He is. Diego is the one man I know who wouldn't hurt a fly! She thought, then left her head hang on the chair's back to look at him more carefully. In that position, Victoria could easily imagine Diego was peacefully sleeping in a bed, right next to her, his head turned in her direction. I wouldn't mind waking up to that face every morning. Perhaps Zorro looks a little like him... or, even better, perhaps Diego is Zorro. No… that is just silly! I'd be worried sick if he was Zorro! Imagine Diego fighting the entire garrison! No… It's probably much better that he is nothing like him. But, he is quite handsome… If there was no Zorro… What in the world am I doing? Diego is just my friend, nothing more. He's always there. And fine, he is handsome, but he doesn't love me and I don't love him.

"I love you…" Diego mumbled in his sleep right at that moment, and Victoria startled.

"What did you say, Diego?" She asked softly, unsure if he was awake or not.

"I love you." He repeated, then suddenly woke up. "What?" He asked.

"I think you were dreaming," Victoria answered with a grin. "That… or you just confessed to love me, Señor." She continued, teasing him. She didn't expect his reaction, however. He seemed suddenly panicked, and she could see quite clearly that, for a moment, he was struggling to give her a reply. Is he actually… An inner voice started asking but did not finish.

"I was dreaming about… my mare!" Diego tried to save face as his eyes, frantically looking around the courtyard, spotted Esperanza. "I really like my mare. Esperanza is a great horse, don't you think so, Victoria?" He asked as he stood up and covered the few steps to reach the horse. The mare raised her head at feeling her master near, and Diego caressed her forehead. "You know I love you, don't you, girl?" He uttered and turned to grin at Victoria who was watching him with a mixture of puzzlement and disbelief, then chuckled as the mare responded by resting her head on Diego's shoulder in what almost looked like an embrace.

"I think I know why Señorita Ursula can't get your attention. What woman could stand a chance if her competition for your heart is such a beautiful specimen as Esperanza?" Victoria teased him and they both chuckled.

"How long was I asleep?" Diego asked with a yawn as he returned to the taverness.

"Not very long. An hour, perhaps? I'm not sure what time it is."

"Do you think they left, or are they still trying to find us?" He asked.

They were pensive for a few moments, then found each other's glance and laughed again.

"This is utterly silly, isn't it?" Diego asked. "We are hiding from two people trying to court us. We should just make it clear we don't want their attentions."

"You are right!" Victoria agreed, getting up from the chair. "It is not us who should be hiding! We did nothing wrong! They should just understand we are not interested."

Diego smiled widely, and, taking Esperanza's rains with his right hand, he offered Victoria his left arm to escort her to the tavern. She slightly bowed her head, playfully pretending she was even more flattered than she was, and interlinked her arm to his.

"What are you cooking for dinner?" He asked as they rounded the church, entering the plaza.

"Is there something you'd like, and that's why you're asking?" Victoria wondered.

"Perhaps…" Diego smiled, considering his menu options.

Don Berto, who had been losing patience with Victoria spotted them from the tavern's terrace and instantly decided on a new plan.

"What's this?" He asked furiously as stood up from the table and headed towards them. "You lead my sister on, and then you disappear an entire afternoon with the woman you very well know I am courting? With only one horse, I can only imagine what the two of you have been up to!"

"We were not up to anything! I already told you your advances are not welcomed. And Diego never tried to lead your sister on!" Victoria raised her voice at him, as she let go of the caballero's arm and took a few steps in the man's direction to confront him, furious about his insinuations. "Not to mention that the entire pueblo knows that Diego and I are only good friends as my heart belongs to Zorro! And if you want to know, we were both at the church, trying to get away from you and your sister!"

Don Berto, feeling humiliated by the woman, suddenly raised his hand and slapped her. Victoria stumbled and took a step back taking both her hands to her face, soon feeling sheltered in the tall caballero's opened arms.

"What kind of man raises his hand on a woman?" Diego asked furiously, wishing he had been dressed as Zorro at that very moment.

"The kind that will have your head! You have insulted me and my sister through your behavior, so I have no other option than to challenge you to a duel, Señor!" Don Berto said with barely-contained ire. "I hope you're prepared to die for a… wench who professes to be in love with a bandit! As for you,… Señorita," he added, addressing Victoria, "you will soon regret your words to me!"

"I will send my second to inform you on the time and place of our duel, Señor." By his tone of voice, Diego threatened rather than informed the other caballero as the man headed for his horse.

ZZZ

"Is it true, Diego?" Don Alejandro asked as he entered the tavern, alerted by Mendoza, just five minutes after the duel challenge had been issued in the plaza.

"Which part?" He inquired, wondering what Mendoza had already told his father.

"It's true, Don Alejandro!" Victoria answered. She was sitting at her friend's table, holding a cold-water-socked rag to her face. "Don Berto challenged Diego to a duel and he accepted!"

"I am to send my second to his hacienda to inform him about the time and place." Diego completed her statement calmly.

"But what reason had he to do this? He seemed like a perfectly well-mannered caballero. Have you done something to insult him?" Don Alejandro asked his son.

"Him?" Victoria retorted, looking at the tall caballero. "He was a perfect gentleman. We had both been hiding at the church to get away from that man and his sister. Just ask Padre Benitez! We just sat on the terrace. I read, and Diego took a nap in a chair. And when we returned, he insulted us, accusing Diego of leading his sister on, and implying the two of us were… lovers! Imagine that!"

"Imagine that!" Diego muttered slightly amused.

"You must stop this nonsense, Don Alejandro! Ask the lancers to arrest him! Do something!" Victoria ordered.

The older man looked at her and wondered for a moment what had caused her current level of distress.

"I can't just arrest someone because he had challenged my son to a duel, Victoria. If Diego decides to fight, I will trust his decision." He uttered, surprising everyone in the tavern who was eavesdropping on their conversation. "I'd rather we avoided this, but I have promised myself to be a fair ruler for all those living in this pueblo, and I shall do no less. Are you certain there is no way to seek an amiable agreement, Son?"

"He slapped Victoria, he insulted her… and me. So, no. If he wouldn't have challenged me first, I would have challenged him, Father."

"He did what?" Don Alejandro asked, glancing between Diego and the taverness. "He dared raise a hand on you?" He asked the young woman, just then realizing why she was holding the cloth to her face. "I will have him arrested for assault, in that case!" He decided, clenching his fists with ire.

"No! No, Father! He will learn nothing if you do that. I will fight him, but I shall do so on my terms." The caballero decided pensively. "Would you care to be my second?"

"Of course you can count on me, Son. Swords? A week from tomorrow, so that we'd have some time to practice?"

"Why not?" Diego asked.

"A week? He'll need years of practice to defeat him! Senorita Ursula mentioned Don Berto has served as a swordmaster while in the Navy!" Victoria exclaimed. "Diego, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but it's not worth your life. Please… Let's try to find Zorro. Perhaps he can help!"

"This is my fight, Victoria, not Zorro's." Her friend replied calmly. "Don't worry! I am no longer as useless with the sword as I once was." He tried to assured her. Honestly speaking, since he had not always been a master, there had been a time when he had been useless with the weapon, even if that time was decades earlier, so he wasn't really lying.

"I can attest to that!" Don Alejandro agreed, remembering the time he saw Diego fight Gilberto. His face saddened at the memory of his dead son, though. Victoria, and not only her, took that as an unconscious negation of his own words, so the don's assurance had the opposite effect on his audience than the one intended.

ZZZ

"I thought we had a plan!" Ursula complained, pacing the floor nervously after Berto informed her about the duel.

"Our carefully-thought-out plan has already crumbled, Ursula, and neither one of us was making any progress with those two. The taverness was nowhere near trusting me with Zorro's name and, to be frank, I doubt she even knows it; and Don Diego showed no interest in you. I saw my chance, and I took it!"

"Your chance? Your chance to do what? How is you killing the Alcalde's son going to give us any power over the man and over the pueblo for that matter?" She hissed. "That black-clad outlaw is ruining our raids, De la Vega has taken the office meant for you, and nothing we do seems to get us any closer to getting control on this territory!"

"Yes, I know! But not all is lost. I have already written to our cousin in Monterey about the problems we are facing here. It's his plan, after all. I'm sure he will find a solution. We'll just need to wait a little longer and, in the meantime, this duel will solve some of the problems for us." Berto answered.

"Solve problems? How?" Ursula asked, calming down a little at the mention of their cousin.

"Don Diego is no match for me, as you already know. Few are… So, I see two possible outcomes for this duel. Either I kill the man, at which point the pueblo will be left without a doctor…"

"For a month. That's when the next doctor is due to arrive." She interrupted.

"A month is plenty of time to get the lancers sick. My men and I will then step in and make sure all criminal activities stop, thus converting myself in the new hero of Los Angeles. The Alcalde will no doubt resign after losing his only son, or be ousted if he doesn't once I get the job done. And we'll be back on track with putting our plan into motion." Berto concluded with an evil smile on his lips. "And if Don Diego does the cowardly thing, as I expect him to do, and try to find a way to avoid the duel, I will offer his father a deal he won't be able to refuse. At least, not if he prefers his son to his estate. One way or another, we will be rid of the De la Vegas and their interference with our plan!"

ZZZ

Later that afternoon, Felipe found Diego in the cave, tending to his experiments. After feeding Tornado and doing his chores, he finally neared his father and asked him about the duel.

"I don't know, Felipe." He replied pensively when his son asked him what he intended to do. "I'd rather not fight him as Diego, but I don't think I'll have any choice. I can insist for only my father, Don Berto and his second should be there, so, at least, there will not be many to witness my skills with the blade, but I doubt I will be able to dissuade Victoria and Señorita Ursula from attending. I will start training with my father, and we'll just tell everyone about my fast progress."

Felipe signed again.

"You think not even my father will buy that story?" Diego sighed and soon heard his father roaming around the hacienda searching for him.

Carefully not to be seen exiting through the sliding panel, he reached the library just as Don Alejandro arrived in the room. Felipe remained in the cave, watching and listening through the spy hole.

"Here you are! You are not going to believe this, Diego!" Don Alejandro said as soon as he found his son.

"What happened, Father?" He asked, knowing the old don had gone to the De Yero Hacienda to discuss the terms of the duel. "Was it that bad? You're not also fighting a duel with Don Berto now, are you?"

"No. It's worse! Oh, the nerve of the man! Outrageous!" He stated as Diego tried to calm him down, offering him a glass of brandy. "But let me start at the beginning! Do you know who Don Berto's second is?" Don Alejandro asked after drinking the entire glass and handing it back to his son who realized he needed to pour another. "The man introduced himself as Don Octavio Ripperda. That scoundrel who threw a plate at Pilar, and whom De Soto had to detain some six weeks ago." Don Alejandro continued his banter.

"The one who threatened Ignacio?"

"The man himself! Not to mention… Do you know Don Berto actually had the nerve to demand that I hand him over the deeds to our hacienda if I wanted to avoid the duel? He is certain you have no chance against him! He threatened me that he'll cut you into pieces! But we'll show him, won't we, Son? Oh, I tell you, Diego… I was so angry by the end of that discussion that I could hardly leave that house any faster. Not to mention the way he treats his servant! God knows why the poor man puts up with it. Probably because he barely understands a word of Spanish…"

For some reason, that last statement was what attracted Diego's attention the most.

"He wasn't Spanish?" He asked.

"No. The one who served us I think was Filipino. At least that's my best guess." Don Alejandro answered as a strange idea started forming in Diego's head. "I'll go have a rest. The Sergeant is due here later tonight. I've decided to accompany him and his men on the patrol. We need to find those bandits, Son, or this town will never return to normal."

"But, Father, you've barely started riding again a week ago! You are not ready to go on patrols!" Diego protested.

"Oh, I'm fine! Don't worry about me! Worry about those thugs!" Don Alejandro uttered with ire as he headed for his room.

Diego entered the cave as soon as his father left.

"Did you hear, Felipe?" He asked his son and the younger man nodded. "The pieces are starting to fit together." He continued as a smile made its way across his face. "There's a bigger plan at work here. Think about it! Two dons arriving about the same time, and both causing trouble for the pueblo, then we find out they know each other well enough for one to ask the other to second him in a duel; Don Berto having a Filipino servant at the same time an Asian slave, to my best guess, also Filipino, was found dying not far from his hacienda; Don Octavio threatening De Soto and De Soto's death. The only thing which I still can't see how it fits in all this is Sepulveda's story. But I think it's time for Zorro to visit both Don Berto and Don Octavio. First, however, he needs to make sure my father and the lancers don't get into any trouble tonight. And I need some sleep." Diego added.

Five minutes later, after instructing Felipe to wake him up as soon as Mendoza arrived at the hacienda, he headed for his room and was fast asleep in no time.

ZZZ

Maloliente spent his day as usual. He woke up at dawn, fed the animals, cleaned up the stables, made breakfast for his master and the other people in the house, served them, then cleaned after them, calmly took all the insults and hits directed at him, feeling they were probably well-deserved since he was just scum, lucky to have a master to put a roof over his head and food in his stomach. He had learned fast not to talk back, reply or contradict Don Octavio. The thrashings the man had administered made sure to teach him at least that, although he sometimes felt that nothing he did would ever stop the don from harming him.

After breakfast, as his master and the other well-dressed men left the hacienda, he cleaned their chamber pots, then the barn in which the other servants lived. They were away already, having also woken up at dawn to work the fields, and he could quietly do his duties.

He then spent two hours cooking lunch before everyone returned to have their meals. Everyone except the workers. They were only fed twice a day and no cooking was required since, much like him, they were only allowed to eat bread. Some cheese or tomatoes they only received when the master was in a good mood. At least, working in the kitchen, he could eat potatoes, drink milk once in a while, and even have some chicken if there was any left on the bones when he retrieved the plates from the main table.

In the afternoon another rider came with a message for his master and Don Octavio left, informing Maloliente he'd not be back until late that evening and that he wanted his meal hot at his return. His men left with him and the servant breathed easily for the first time in weeks, knowing he might just get a few hours of sleep before having to resume his duties.

His entire body ached as he lay down on the sacks of flour in the pantry. The wounds on his back were healing but his entire body seemed close to failing him. It was as if he wasn't used to working all day long, even if that was the only life he remembered. He was in pain, but still he fell asleep instantly due to mere exhaustion.


	6. Chapter 6

"Makakita!" Diego uttered as his son woke him up. Felipe looked inquisitively at him. "Felipe! I… I was just dreaming. I think my brain is just doing its best to fit all these pieces together, but I still can't see the whole picture. What was it I said?"

The younger man put his hands at his eyes, pulling their edges aside, then made the symbol for 'last words'.

"Makakita." Diego uttered, suddenly remembering the word. "Perhaps this word is important, but I haven't been able to find out what it meant. I do think I know who to ask, though!" He stated, thinking about his father's assertion that the De Yeros had a Filipino working for them.

Felipe signaled that Don Alejandro had left the hacienda and he was already late in waking Diego up since he had been asked to keep Mendoza company until his grandfather readied himself.

"I must hurry then!" Diego concluded, and the two of them headed towards the cave.

Five minutes later, Zorro, mounted on Tornado, set in pursue of the new Alcalde and his men.

He reached them in less than ten minutes, as they were heading towards the last place where the bandits had been spotted the previous night. It had been a good decision since they soon found out the thugs were just a couple of miles further away from their destination.

Set on causing as much havoc and destruction as possible, the bandits attacked, this time, the Mission. Several neophytes were already running or riding in their direction to sound the alarm as they saw flames in the distance. Don Alejandro ordered everyone to hurry and their black-clad companion stopped trying to remain unnoticed.

"You need a hand?" He asked as Tornado reached Dulcinea, and the two horses galloped side-by-side. Don Alejandro startled at seeing him, but he felt relieved that he was there.

"We'd appreciate all the help we can get, Zorro!" He replied. "My men already have orders not to shoot at you or make any attempt against you."

"I appreciate that, Alcalde!" He replied and pushed Tornado harder, taking the lead.

The lancers and his father followed but, by the time they arrived, the masked man was already fighting two thugs, as four more were lying on the ground.

"Arrest those you can!" Don Alejandro commanded and five of his men hurried towards the fallen.

The remaining lancers he separated into two groups. Those he knew not to be very good fighters, he sent to put off the fire and help the padre and the neophytes. The others, he led into battle.

With Zorro's help, half an hour later, most of the thugs were captured, only three of them having escaped when they sensed the battle was lost. The fire was already under control and a few more buckets of water and sand sealed its fate.

"We can handle things here!" Don Alejandro addressed the masked outlaw as exhaustion was claiming him and most of his men, his injured leg starting to hurt again. "Can you try and capture those who ran away?"

Zorro nodded and, after a look around, determined there was no more immediate danger, so he steered Tornado in the direction in which the bandits had headed.

Aided by the full moon, he found their tracks a few hundred feet south and followed them from there.

ZZZ

Maloliente woke up at hearing his master roar inside the hacienda, shouting at his men about a fox. The mere idea of a zorro made his own hair stand on end as he hurried to the kitchen to start preparing the dinner. He barely knew where to start, though, as the master demanded for his meal right away, and nothing was ready yet.

"You lazy oaf!" Don Octavio admonished as soon as he found him, cleaning a chicken. "I told you to wait with my food ready and hot! You haven't even started on dinner!" As he said that, he grabbed Maloliente by his shirt, pushing him into the nearest wall.

"I… I… I fell asleep, Master! I am sorry. Please forgive me, Master." The servant begged, as the caballero raised his hand and slapped him so hard that he fell on the floor and he started hitting him with his leg.

"That is no way to treat another person!" A voice filled with indignation was heard from the opposite side of the room as Maloliente was moaning in pain, begging him to stop. The servant couldn't see who it was since the table blocked his view. His master stopped and turned towards the intruder. Taking out his sword, he then attack the other man.

All the servant heard for a few moments were Don Octavio's shouts, a clash of blades and fists, the voices of the other two riders who had returned with his master, what sounded a lot like sacks tumbling to the ground, then everything was quiet.

He dared getting up slowly to watch from behind the table and he saw the intruder: a black-clad man who was, at that moment, tying up his master and the riders.

Maloliente looked around and spotted a sharp-edged knife. Knowing he was expected to come to his master's aid, he took it and slowly made his way towards the intruder. He was just a few steps away when the man seemed to have sensed the danger and turned to look at him.

They both stood frozen for a few seconds, Maloliente with the knife in his hand and Zorro half-kneeling, jaw-dropped, next to the men he had defeated.

"De Soto?" The black-clad man asked as soon as his initial shock passed.

The other man did not know how to react. Part of him was almost glad to see the intruder while another part was still intended on stabbing him. Then, there was this other part which simply wondered at the name the man had just pronounced. It seemed familiar, yet foreign at the same time. Still, he didn't react.

"Ignacio de Soto? You're alive!" Zorro stated again.

This time, the white-haired man lowered his knife and opened his mouth to say something. The only thing that came out, however, was "Maloliente. My Master calls me Maloliente."

The masked man glanced between him and Don Octavio, then remained pensive.

"You don't know who you are, do you?" He asked De Soto.

"I am Maloliente." He answered, his hand still firmly holding the knife.

"No. You are Ignacio de Soto. Alcalde of Los Angeles. I don't know what this man did to you, but he is not your master." Zorro replied.

"No… Maloliente. I am Maloliente." He uttered.

"Try to remember! You must remember who you are! Don't you remember Los Angeles? Madrid, perhaps…" Zorro asked him kindly.

The man shook his head and tried hard, but couldn't remember anything. "This is the only place I know. Maloliente… And… I also remember another man. With drawings on his skin. He left a few weeks ago and my Master has been looking for him."

"The slave? You remember the slave?"

"Slave? What is 'slave'?" De Soto inquired.

"I think it might be what you are…" Zorro replied. "Perhaps… Does the word 'makakita' mean anything to you?"

As soon as he pronounced the word he realized what it was. De Soto wavered on his feet, raised his left hand to his temples as he closed his eyes, then opened them looking around.

"What is this?" He asked with the voice and authority of the Alcalde of Los Angeles. "Where am I? What did you do to me, Zorro?"

"De Soto?" The masked outlaw asked him.

"What… Where am I? What am I wearing?" Ignacio asked at looking at his clothes and smelling himself, then feeling his back and muscles hurting all over. "What's that smell? Why is my back on fire? What did you do to me? You will pay or this!" He threatened, realizing he had a knife in is hand and pointing it at Zorro.

"I did not do this, Alcalde!" Zorro stated, taking a step back, as he caught a glimpse at his bloodied shirt. "You look injured. Let me have a look!" He asked.

"No. You'll kill me!"

"Not even you believe that!" He replied. De Soto eyed him for a few more seconds, then carefully half-turned around. "Good God! You've been whipped. A lot, by the look of your wounds!" Zorro stated at looking at his half-torn blouse which offered a glimpse of the wounds underneath. A few moment later, he was instinctively searching around, grabbing a clean rag and a bottle of tequila, preparing to use it as disinfectant.

"I'll ask Don Diego to clean the wounds when I get back to Los Angeles. So you stay away, Zorro!" De Soto warned as he again raised his knife-holding hand towards his nemesis, refusing his help, or, at least, believing that he was refusing his help when, in fact, he was just postponing asking for it. "I don't know what happened, but I am sure you are involved. You won't trick me!"

"I am not involved, and I am not tricking you!" Zorro replied rather enraged. "I was following three bandits and found you here." De Soto was not convinced. "Look… I know how I can prove it!" The masked man realized, unwilling to let the white-haired man believe he'd be capable of something like that.

"How?"

"Can you act, Alcalde?" Zorro wondered although he knew the answer.

"Of course I can act!" De Soto answered.

"Then act like a servant. I will untie these men," he said, referring to Don Octavio and the other two next to him "and you just wake them up and watch what happens."

"I know him. I had him arrested." De Soto realized, starting to find Zorro's words to be possibly true.

Without losing sight of De Soto, the black-clad man cut the ropes on his prisoners, then signaled he'd be around the corner and that the Alcalde should wake them up.

Ignacio pushed at Don Octavio with his leg.

"Acting!" Zorro whispered. "Like a servant."

De Soto frowned and lowered himself to gently wake up the don. The man shook his head at recovering his consciousness, stared at the white-haired man for a moment, then reached to shake up his accomplices.

"Where is he? Where is the black devil?" He then got up and asked the man he believed to still be his slave.

"He left." De Soto answered.

"He left, Master!" The don corrected. "How many times do I have to tell you to address me as 'Master', you oaf? Have you finished dinner yet? I want to eat before I go look for that thug!"

"Not yet… Master." Ignacio replied after a quick glance towards the kitchen, slowly losing patience and the will to act.

"Did you just say 'not yet'?" Don Octavio inquired, raising his right hand. "I will have you whipped again before I leave, Maloliente," he stated as his hand descended to hit him.

At the moment he mentioned the name he had given to De Soto, the Alcalde's memories of the past three weeks instantly returned to him. A few seconds later, the cruel don's hand was caught by Ignacio's, and he felt a sudden pain in his chest. Lowering his eyes to see what had caused it, he realized that the man he believed to be his slave had planted a knife in him. A moment later, he fell to the floor, dead.

The other two men hesitated, unsure as to what had happened to their Patron, as Zorro decided to intervene. Before they could attack De Soto, they were again lying unconscious on the floor as the black-clad man was trying to see if there was anything he could do to save the don.

"Why did you do that? He could have given us information about whoever else is involved in this!" He asked De Soto, but part of him already understood.

"How long? How long was I here?" De Soto asked instead.

"You have been missing for three weeks. Everyone thought you dead. It was only by accident that I even got here tonight." Zorro stated.

The Alcalde didn't say anything else, just headed towards the back of the house, checking the rooms there. Zorro tied up the two men again, then followed him. He found De Soto in the dead don's room, completely naked, using a cloth and soap to wash in a water-filled basin. The white-haired man only growled a little when he opened the door, and he closed it fast to give him his privacy. About an hour later, the Alcalde emerged from the room, freshly shaved and washed, wearing the dead man's best clothes and boots.

"What now?" He simply asked Zorro, who had fruitlessly checked the rest of the house while waiting for him.

"Why don't you tell me? You're the one who spent three weeks here!" He replied.

"I have no recollection of that time." Ignacio lied, looking intently at him. "Do you know how this happened? What did he do to me?" He then asked, suddenly feeling less aggressive towards his nemesis.

"I am not sure, and I doubt we'll ever really find out since the one man who could have given us an answer is already dead." Zorro replied. De Soto believed he was referring to Don Octavio and didn't ask any more questions on the subject. "I believe we should inspect the hacienda, and see if there are others to whom he had done the same."

The Alcalde agreed and followed Zorro, for once too grateful to the man to try anything against him. They saw no other people around, so, each carrying a torch, they headed for what looked like a long barn, wondering if there was anyone there.

The smell hit them first, just like De Soto's smell had hit Zorro a little while earlier, warning him to the man's presence. The entire barn was littered with people, sleeping on the hard, cold ground, all wearing shackles on their legs, which were then linked to some hard iron bars running the entire length of the barn. Zorro entered first as De Soto remained by the door. He already knew what they would find there, but he still felt the full impact of what he was looking at. He had seen slaves before, but never before had he in any way sympathized with their condition. He didn't like it, and he never condoned slavery, but he had always closed his eyes to it. Always… until that moment.

Zorro woke up one of the men closest to the entrance. He opened his eyes and watched him, not knowing how to react, then glanced at De Soto and he became even more puzzled as his eyes rested on him.

One-by-one, men and women all woke up to look inquisitively at the two men holding torches in the barn, staring back at them.

"Does anybody speak Spanish?" Zorro inquired. Nobody answered. "We don't mean you any harm. Don Octavio is dead. You have no more reason to fear. Please, does anybody understand what I am saying?"

"There's no use! They're Filipinos. I doubt anybody bothered to teach them Spanish." Ignacio told him.

"I speak." A young woman replied shyly from the middle of the barn.

Zorro glanced at her with a smile as both he and De Soto headed towards her.

"Do you know where they are keeping the keys to the shackles?" The masked man asked her. She shook her head. "Can you ask the others?"

She nodded and did as requested. A man spoke from the front of the barn and she translated that the keys are in a cabin just outside.

It wasn't Zorro but De Soto who went to get them and freed them all personally as the black-clad man smiled at his actions. There is hope for him yet. He decided.

ZZZ

Los Angeles was 14 miles away, and they were slow to make the journey with all the malnourished, overworked and tired people, even if most of them had, with the tied-up bandits and the don's dead body, fit in the wagons they had found on the property.

About two miles into their journey, Zorro suddenly stopped his horse.

"What now?" De Soto inquired at noticing his expression.

"We cannot take all those people to Los Angeles. Most of them need care, food and a proper place to rest… and we need to know if anyone else is involved before letting any possible accomplice know that we have freed them and that Don Octavio is dead. Or that you are alive, for that matter." He replied, remembering what his father had told him about Don Berto. "The Mission is just three miles north of here. There is enough food, beds, clothes and blankets for everybody, and I doubt the people there are asleep considering they had been attacked just a few hours ago. We'll take them there, then I'll find whoever else is involved. You are welcomed to come or do whatever else you want to do." Zorro told him.

"I'm coming. I will see this through, if I have to make a deal with the Devil himself. Or with you..." The Alcalde replied, unwilling to show any sign of gratitude to his nemesis, even if gratitude was what he was feeling towards him at that point.

ZZZ

Zorro had been right. Nobody was sleeping yet, most of the neophytes and the padre trying to salvage as much as they could from the sacks of flour and the various other grains and beans affected by the fire or the water used to put it out. A few of them also had superficial injuries and the women were tending to them. Some others were away, trying to gather the cattle and the horses which had run away in the chaos the thugs had caused.

Padre Benitez, who had done all he could, was sat on a rock, using the first light of dawn to evaluate the damages to the main building when he heard the noise of horses and wagons heading his way. He got up and looked in the direction from whence the noise came, but was only able to distinguish the two leaders of the group as they were about fifty feet away. By then the other people had also stopped working and were watching the caravan coming towards them.

"Alcalade De Soto? Is that really you?" The Padre asked as Zorro and his unexpected companion stopped before him.

"It is, Padre." He replied.

"Padre," Zorro addressed him "these people were held as slaves by Don Octavio Ripperda." He then informed the older man, pointing towards the Filipinos. "They are tired and need a place to sleep and some proper food. I know you and your men have had a rough night, but I was hoping you might find a temporary place to host them, as well."

"We! We were hoping." De Soto corrected, and Padre Benitez wondered if he was witnessing several miracles happening all at once or he was, perhaps, dreaming.

"Of course! All God's children are welcome here… Don Diego was right, then?"

"Don Diego?" De Soto asked.

"Yes… We had sent for him to come help a man who looked just like them." Padre Benitez replied, and Zorro instantly realized his identity was close to being compromised. He needed to do something before De Soto started to suspect him.

"Yes, I heard him tell Felipe about his concerns." The black-clad man interrupted. "He had also mentioned a word the dead man had said. Makakita."

"Yes! Yes! Carlos told him the man had repeated that word before he lost consciousness." The Padre confirmed.

"It means 'see' in our language." The young woman who knew Spanish intervened, having heard their conversation. "The medicine man in my village, Diwa, whom our master called Benedeto, used that word to wake up people after putting them under his spell. He had learned the magic to help others, but the Master forced him to do harm." She said. "Is Diwa dead?"

"Did he have tattoos all over him?" Padre Benitez asked. The woman did not understand. "Paint. Did he have black paint… drawings…" the padre tried again and she nodded. "It is him, then. I'm sorry, my child! By the time we found him, his wounds were infected. There was nothing we could do for him. At least, now he have a name to put on his cross." He stated.

She again nodded sadly and headed for the others.

"Wait." Zorro asked her. "Can you tell us… Do you know if there are other white people involved in this? Perhaps friends of your master?"

She turned back towards him, but others started talking to her in their language. "Why do you want to know?" She asked after a brief conversation with some of the Filipino men.

"Because slavery has been forbidden by the King of Spain a year ago. What you were subjected to shouldn't have happened." De Soto answered instead of Zorro. "And I intend to find and punish all those involved in this!"

The woman translated for her people and another conversation in a Filipino language ensued.

"The man who is dead… He worked for others. He called them 'brothers'. A man and a woman. The man ruled the ship which brought us here. They came on it, too, then left taking some of us with them." She replied. "It is all we know."

"I believe I know the rest." Zorro replied, looking towards De Soto. "Padre, two of the bandits who had attacked the mission are tied up in one of the wagons with Don Octavio's dead body. Please ask your men to keep an eye on them until the lancers come to take them to the pueblo. Be well, my friends! Padre!" He greeted as he headed, followed by De Soto, towards the De Yero Hacienda.


	7. Chapter 7

Don Alejandro and his lancers made their triumphant return to Los Angeles in the early morning, just as the farmers were heading for their fields and Victoria opened her tavern. It didn't take long for word of the past night's events to reach all the inhabitants of the pueblo and the tavern was soon filled with people coming to celebrate, to listen to Mendoza tell the story, and congratulate the new Alcalde for his success. Victoria enthusiastically offered them breakfast on the house, and took as much time as she could afford to listen to the story.

ZZZ

"Where are we going?" De Soto asked his unlikely ally after a few miles of galloping.

"How many people who have 'ruled ships' do you know in Los Angeles?" Zorro inquired instead of answering.

"Don Berto? You think the De Yeros had something to do with this? That is impossible! You are wrong, Zorro!"

"We shall soon see if I am, Alcalde!" He replied as the hacienda came into view.

It was still early morning but several people were already up and about in the house. Leaving the horses behind the stables, the two silently made their way towards the main house, stopping every few yards to make sure they were not spotted.

"Can you get me some breakfast, mi querido?" They heard Ursula asking.

De Soto frowned as Zorro took a finger to his mouth, indicating that he needed to keep silent, and slowly headed towards the window of the room from whence the voice came.

"I will ask Pequena. Right now I need to go talk to Octavio, and find out how last night's attack went. I haven't heard the men return, so I suspect they only came back rather late." Don Berto replied, while getting dressed.

"We stayed up rather late, as well…" She said teasingly as he bowed down to give her a passionate kiss.

"Perhaps the idea of the duel wasn't so bad, after all, if it turned you into such a passionate lover, my darling." He uttered. "Is the possibility of another man harming me making you act like that, or was it the idea of me plunging my sword into the heart of that insolent caballero what had you all excited?"

"The perspective of you killing him," she replied, pulling him on top of her for another passionate kiss, "must have the same effect on me that the idea of me marrying either that imbecilic De Soto or the coward had on you, as well."

"I would have never allowed you to marry any of those morons. My only regret is that I let Octavio kill the Alcalde. He was better for us than De la Vega. At least De Soto was telling you everything we needed to know about his patrols and strategies. Not to mention that I would have preferred to kill him myself."

Glancing at De Soto, Zorro realized he was seconds away from jumping through the window and into their bedchamber, and had to tackle him to prevent any rash actions. Then, as soon as he calmed him down, he dragged the Alcalde towards the back of the hacienda.

"We don't know what's waiting for us in that house!" He told him. "Before making any rash moves on them, we need to assess the situation."

De Soto had to concede that he was right, and nodded, then followed his lead.

The first they noticed were the five vaqueros who were starting to worry about the absence of the ones who had accompanied Don Octavio the previous night. Zorro signaled to the white-haired man to stay put, then headed for them. Ignacio could not see what he did as he followed the vaqueros around a corner leading to the entrance into and adjacent house. However, a few minutes later, Zorro emerged from behind the building, signaling for De Soto that the way was clear.

Rounding another corner, they found themselves face-to-face with a small Filipino woman. She was about to scream when De Soto covered her mouth with his hand. The woman bit him, causing him to take away his hand with a shout, then she called for help as soon as she had the chance to do so.

In a few moments five other servants came to her aid, everyone attacking the intruders.

"They might be under the same spell you were under." Zorro remarked, fending off the men and women who were half his size. "Try not to hurt them!"

"If they are, why don't you do what you did to get me out of that spell?" De Soto asked as he was also clumsily defending himself.

"Makakita!" Zorro said. Four of the assailants stopped fighting, looking confused around them, but two others were still attacking them. "Makakita!" Zorro repeated with no effect. "This is ridiculous!" He decided, then proceeded to knock out the remaining attackers.

"What is going on here?" Don Berto asked a few moments later as he exited the house followed by his sister. They both stopped in their tracks at they saw the intruders as the servants who had stopped fighting looked at each other, then disappeared around the main house.

"You're alive!" Ursula uttered at seeing De Soto.

"Yes. And you two are under arrest!" De Soto informed them, as if expecting Zorro to cuff them. The masked man gave him an amused look.

"I doubt that!" Don Berto retorted taking out his sword.

Zorro did the same with a smile, and parried a fast attack, as Ignacio got out of the way, for once both glad he was not the black-clad man's adversary, and content he was certain his nemesis was going to win.

The swords danced with each other for minutes, Don Berto proving a very skilled swordsman. It took a little longer than usual for Zorro to understand his strengths and weaknesses and, in all that time, Don Berto grew more and more confident in his chances to win. Ursula, however, having witnessed many duels among silly men who had fought over her, saw exactly what the black-clad man was doing.

"You must have had a very good sword master." Don Berto remarked as he parried a perfectly-executed combined attack by his adversary.

"So have you, Señor!" Zorro replied as, unnoticed by the men in the courtyard and beginning to doubt her stepbrother's chances, Ursula took advantage of the situation and made a run for her room.

Once there, she opened a safe and took out several documents, jewels and a large bag of money, then exited through the window and hurried towards the stables. A few minutes later she emerged mounted on an Andalusian stallion, heading towards the ocean, the men in the courtyard still unaware that she had escaped.

In the meantime, the duel was continuing and the masked outlaw finally started noticing his adversary's weaknesses.

"There aren't many able to parry that thrust!" Don Berto remarked as Zorro had just stopped a dangerous blow aimed at his liver. De Soto saw how close the don had come to kill his adversary and started to worry he might win the duel.

"Fortunately for me I'm one of them." Zorro replied as he begun another attack.

By that point, the fight had dragged on much longer than anyone had anticipate, and De Soto started losing his patience, some of the mistakes even he noticed his nemesis commit making him doubt Zorro would win. In truth, the masked man was slower than usual, his reflexes not as sharp as the accumulated tiredness was taking its toll.

If he lost, Ignacio knew there was only one way for him to turn the tables on Don Berto, so, instead of remaining there to watch, he started rummaging through the house and found a gun. Checking it was loaded, he returned to the terrace and, for once, he didn't aim it at Zorro.

"You give yourself away, Señor!" Don Berto noted as he parried the newest attack by his foe. "There is only one person from whom you could have learned that! You, Señor, have studied with Sir…" Before uttering another word, a shot was heard and the don saw a red stain on his blouse as he fell on his knees, then on the side, dead-eyes-open.

Zorro watched him, then De Soto, and could barely help himself from strangling the man.

"Why did you do that? You've already killed the other one!" He yelled at the Alcalde, regretting having brought him along.

"It was taking too long. I ran out of patience and, for all I saw, he could have outmatched you!" He replied. "Since you saved me today, I thought I owed you the same. I'd say we are even now!"

"You didn't have to kill him! I didn't need your help, and even if I did, you could have just injured him! We needed him in order to find out what this was truly about, and if there are others involved!" Zorro retorted.

"Relax, Zorro…" De Soto mocked "we still have the Señorita." He added, looking around and not finding her. A moment later he was searching her through the hacienda.

"All you needed to do was keep an eye on her, and let me deal with her brother!" Zorro remarked as he returned empty-handed.

"Lover, more like it…" De Soto corrected.

"And you couldn't even do that!" The black-clad man reproached angrily.

"Careful, Zorro! I am grateful, but not as grateful as to forget all the pain you have caused me all these years. You are still a wanted outlaw, and I have vowed to do all I can to bring you to justice. So, don't think for a moment that anything has changed between us!"

The masked man looked at him and smiled. "I was worried that you might have changed, Alcalde!" He uttered, as he whistled for Tornado.

"Where are you going?" De Soto asked.

"As you said, nothing has changed between us. So I guess this is when I make my escape. I trust you can handle things here." He said with a sly grin, and stirred Tornado towards the cave.

"You can't leave me alone now! I can't even communicate with the Filipinos! Zorrooooooo!" De Soto shouted, vowing, once more to capture the masked menace as soon as he'd get another chance. He also briefly wondered at how good his aim was at times.

ZZZ

"Diego? Diego!" Don Alejandro called as he entered the hacienda. Not finding his son in the library as he expected, he headed for the patio, where Diego liked to have breakfast. He wasn't there, either. "He can't still be sleeping! It's almost noon!" He muttered as he headed for his son's bedroom.

Felipe, who had just closed his adoptive father's bedroom door after listening to the story of his nightly adventure and having taken him breakfast to the cave, stopped the old don on the way.

"What is it, Felipe?" Don Alejandro asked as he realized the young man was determined to prevent him from entering Diego's quarters. "You know where Diego is?"

Felipe started gesturing.

"He's ill? He's been up all night, feeling sick?" He asked, and the young man nodded. "Agh… I can't even call the doctor for him since he's the only doctor in the pueblo at the moment." He replied, frustrated. "Who was taking care of Doctor Hernandez when he was ill?" He then asked, and Felipe shrugged his shoulders, doubting anyone had ever asked that question before. "Has he taken any medicine? Does he know what's wrong with him? How long will it take for him to get better? We should start practicing with the saber as soon as possible. I don't have any intention of losing my only son. Don Berto is an excellent swordsman, you know?"

Was. Felipe mentally corrected him before making some more of his gestures.

"It was food poisoning? He took some tea and should be alright in a few hours? But he needs some rest…" Don Alejandro interpreted what he was saying. "Well… We'll see about that. I guess I should also get to bed. It was a long night, but, at least, we captured the bandits we went after. I will tell you both all about it over dinner!" The don decided and headed for his room.

ZZZ

Ignacio de Soto entered the pueblo on the horse he had taken from Don Octavio the previous night, followed by a wagon driven by a Filipino. His entrance caused several of the older women present in the plaza, as well as Mendoza and Sepulveda to faint.

"Wake him up!" He ordered one of the lancers staring at him, pointing towards Mendoza.

The Sergeant woke up and was about to faint again at seeing De Soto, had the latter not started ordering him around the moment he opened his eyes.

"See that the Filipinos get a good meal at the canteen," he asked, indicating towards the people getting down from the wagon, "then take them to the Mission and bring back the body of Don Octavio and the two vaqueros Zorro and I left there tied up. Also, I want a patrol to look for Ursula de Yero. She is a fugitive and she must face justice for attempted murder, complicity in the attacks on the farmers and illegal enslavement! Am I clear, Sergeant? And see to the arrangements for Don Berto's and Don Octavio's bodies to be buried. Unmarked graves are more than they deserve!" He continued as he dismounted and entered his office, the Sergeant on his heels. "I trust you haven't thrown away all my things during my absence!"

"No, Alcalde. We placed everything in the luggage you brought when you arrived. I wanted to send it to your family in Cadiz with the next ship from San Pedro, but it only departs in another week… so you came back to life just in time!" Mendoza uttered.


	8. Chapter 8

Señor Peralta was, once again, the one to officially give the news – this time about De Soto's return - to the De la Vegas, later that afternoon.

Diego and his father went into town for dinner, Felipe having decided to remain at the hacienda. They headed straight towards the tavern. At entering, a few of the farmers and several dons stopped Don Alejandro and shook his hand, stating he had done a marvelous job as Alcalde.

De Soto arrived at the tavern just half an hour later, having also spent the afternoon sleeping. He was dressed in one of his grey jackets and looked around, glad nobody there had seen him the previous day, dressed and acting as a slave. He then frowned at remembering he did not know who Zorro was, and, thus, he could be there that very moment.

"Ignacio!" Diego greeted him from a nearby table he was sharing with his father. The white-haired man looked at him pensively and headed towards the table occupied by the only men in Los Angeles he almost liked.

"Don Alejandro, Sergeant Mendoza told me I have you to thank for the rest of the bandits currently occupying my jail." He said, trying to sound pleasant.

"Me, Zorro and your lancers, Alcalde!" Don Alejandro replied. "But, please, sit down! Sit down and tell us what has happened to you. We all believed you dead!"

"It is not something I want to remember, Don Alejandro. Don Octavio decided to fulfill his promise to make me regret having ordered his arrest, so he took me prisoner. I made, however, sure he will never again harm another person."

"So… It was you who killed him?" Diego asked, faking not knowing the answer.

"It was. And I have no regret about it. Nor do I regret having killed his accomplice, Don Berto." De Soto continued.

"I am grateful you did that!" Victoria mentioned as she approached the table with a bottle of her best wine, which she placed before De Soto, then sat down. "On the house. For having ensured Diego wouldn't get himself killed by that scoundrel!"

The Alcalde looked inquisitively at Victoria, then glanced at Diego.

"Don Berto challenged me to a duel yesterday. My father had already made the arrangements, but, I admit, I wasn't exactly looking forward to it." The tall caballero explained.

"I doubt you would have survived, Don Diego. He would have probably defeated Zorro had I not shot him in time." De Soto replied slightly amused as he poured himself a glass of wine, and Pilar brought him a plate of carne assada, just as he liked it.

"You saved Zorro? Again?" Diego asked, the mockery in his voice only obvious to Felipe.

"That last time with the Ramirez was by mistake, I assure you. This time… let's just say I had a debt to settle with him." Ignacio replied, not noticing the defiant look Diego gave him. "By the way Don Diego, do you remember anything about a Filipino found by the Padre's neophyte… the one called Carlos, a few weeks back?"

"The tattooed man?" Diego wondered. "Yes. I remember thinking about him for quite a few days after that night they called me. I kept bringing it up with Felipe over lunches. There were a few unsettling things about him which kept spinning through my mind. Especially that word… meka… no… maka… what was it?" The caballero pretended to have forgotten.

"Makakita!" The Alcalde replied.

"Yes! Yes! Makakita!" Diego agreed, enthusiastically. "I never found out what it meant, though…"

"It means 'See' in the language the Filipinos are speaking." De Soto informed them, glad that he knew something Diego didn't.

"But there's still one thing I can't understand!" Don Alejandro pointed out. "Why did Sepulveda told us that absurd story about you being eaten by a shark?"

"He was under… some sort of a spell which compelled him to tell that story. I made sure to… fix him, earlier today." The Alcalde stated.

"Really? That's most fascinating!" Diego uttered.

"Fascinating? Really, Diego! You must be the only man in Los Angeles who could find something sinister like this 'fascinating'. Anyway, what I was meaning to say is that, for once, I am grateful that both the case and that word had stuck with you… at least as long as they did."

"Really? Why on Earth for?" The caballero wondered.

"Oh… I think I'll keep the reasons for myself, Diego." De Soto replied, smiling knowingly. "Tell me, though, you haven't by any chance notice people eavesdropping on your… conversation with Felipe on the issue, have you?" He wondered, remembering Zorro confessing to have heard Diego talk about the dead man, and hoping his former university colleague might give him a clue as to who the man behind the mask was.

"Eavesdropping? I'm afraid not, Ignacio."

"Well… Too bad. Next time, do pay more attention… and let me know if you notice anyone… granting your banter a suspicious amount of attention."

"I'll be sure to do so, Alcalde." Diego agreed with a sly smile. "By the way… I was wondering what has happened to Señorita Ursula? Is it true you have ordered your men to find and arrest her?" The tall caballero asked.

"Well, if you must know, she is a dangerous criminal, in league with those other two. Yes…" he then added with a frown, "apparently, she and Don Berto were lovers." De Soto told them.

"What?" Victoria exclaimed rather than asked.

"It's true, Señorita. I would have accused her of incest, as well, but she and Don Berto weren't really siblings. According to the men I interrogated - the former sailors turned farmers and vaqueros… or bandits, to be more precise -, her real brother was Don Octavio. Don Berto's father had married their mother when his son was already a teenager and Don Octavio was in his early twenties. He then adopted Señorita Ursula who was only a child, but not also her big brother, hence the name difference. And the reasons why she had tried her charms on me was because she was trying to obtain some classified information about the defense of the pueblo to give to her brothers. I didn't give it, of course, and that is when they decided to get rid of me. Then she tried the same thing on you to get to your father." He informed Diego.

"Incredible! But I'll give you that, Son! At least you didn't fall into the woman's trap!" Don Alejandro uttered after hearing the story.

"How could he have, when he only has eyes for Esperanza?" Victoria teased. "Did you know, Don Alejandro, that Diego tells his mare that he loves her? I doubt he ever said that to a woman!"

"But, Victoria, put yourself in my shoes. Esperanza doesn't understand me, while, if I told that to a woman… she might think I was ready to… marry her." Diego defended himself as everyone around the table chuckled at his remark.

"Right! I see how any woman might get the wrong idea!" She replied and soon left the table to help Pilar serve the other customers.

The rest of the evening, they spent discussing about the Filipinos and what should happen to them under the current circumstances. Don Alejandro could hardly stop a wave of disbelief at De Soto's apparent openness to help the liberated slaves as they discussed plans to arrange for them to be returned to The Philippines.

"Don Diego," De Soto asked as they had finished their meals and drinks, and Don Alejandro had left them to talk with some of his friends, "I was wondering if I might ask you to have a look at some injuries I have sustained…"

"You are injured?" Diego pretended not knowing. "Why on Earth didn't you say so right away, Alcalde?"

A few minutes later, as he was sitting on the cot in the doctor's office, De Soto unbuttoned his shirt and lowered it.

"You were whipped?" Diego asked as he examined the wounds. Except for one, which seemed to have reopened recently, the rest were healing well.

"I would be grateful if you didn't comment on this with anyone else." De Soto replied instead.

"Of course, not." The caballero assured him as he started cleaning the wounds on the Alcalde's back.

When he finished, he applied an ointment and bandages, asking De Soto to visit him daily for the rest of the week.

ZZZ

"Fernando!" Ursula called as she headed for her cousin. The ship she had come with was anchored in a secluded bay, a few miles south of Monterey.

"What happened, Ursula? Your message…" The good-looking officer asked as she launched into his arms.

"It was terrible, Fernando! Octavio and Berto are both dead! The haciendas have been confiscated together with the slaves..." She recounted, tears in her eyes. "I managed to escape to the ship, and we set sail as soon as we found out about my brothers' death! But you might also be compromised if they start putting the pieces together."

"No! No! No!" He shouted, pushing her away. "We have worked on that plan for three years! I have to spend two ingratiating myself to the idiot of the Governor, and it was all for nothing? I will not lose the Californias! I want this land and Los Angeles was essential to our plan! I can't believe your brothers were incapable of following even those easy instructions!" He uttered menacingly.

"It wasn't all their fault! You should have made sure Berto was named Alcalde! You made the mistake in the first place, and it all went downhill from there!" She reproached him.

"It was not a mistake! My reports said De la Vega had been wounded, barely escaping with his life. With all the havoc our men were due to cause, I was certain he wouldn't accept the position!"

"Well, you were wrong. The attacks barely caused any damages because of Zorro's interference, and De la Vega not only accepted to become Alcalde, but captured most of our men!" She answered.

"Maldita sea!" He cursed. "How much do they know of the plan? Those they captured?"

"Nothing! We never discussed our real intentions with them! All they know is that silly story we told them - that we were trying to chase away the farmers and get our hands on their lands to get rich on slave labor."

"At least you did something right! Come! You will tell me everything! If I am to get us out of this mess I will need to know all the details of what happened!"

Early next morning the Governor found the letter of resignation of his commander of the guards as Ursula de Yero and Fernando de la Cruz were headed south, towards the port of Acapulco.

"Are you sure about the new plan? Seems rather dangerous…" Ursula inquired.

"I would have preferred to do this with limited bloodshed. Without Benedeto, however, that is no longer a possibility. It will take us years to find another one, and, even if we did, we will have missed our chance. It was an iron-clad plan and we should have been halfway towards accomplishing it by now, had things gone our way, but, as things stand, we need to come up with something different. Something nobody will see coming.

"Luckily, I haven't been wasting my time and made sure to read all the Governor's correspondence. Spain is close to losing the war with the rebels in Nova España, and has already informed the Viceroy and the Governors that no more reinforcements are to be sent. So all we need to do is make sure we are on the part of the winners when the inevitable happens. I already have the advantage to have once gained the confidence of General Iturbide. He is said to lead the offensive, so all I need to do is, once again, serve at his side. And I have information to give, as well. I'll have to risk my life to do this, but we both know I am rather… resourceful. When the dust will settle, it will be just a matter of getting close to the next Governor and steal this territory right from under his nose!" He replied pensively. "Steal it and sell it to the highest bidder…"

"But you said we were to keep it… Be its kings!"

"Keep it? My dear, there will be five countries aspiring to get their hands on it: Mexico, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia. Keeping it would be foolish. Getting outrageously rich thanks to it… that's a much wiser plan."


End file.
